Rafael Nadal enjoys a winning start at the Barcelona Open as he returns from another long-term injury in what could be his final year before retirement.
Rafael Nadal enjoyed a winning start at the Barcelona Open as he returned from another long-term injury in what could be his final year before retirement.
Nadal, who is considered as one of the best players in history and greatest clay-courter of all time, has only played one event since. A record 12-time champion in Barcelona, Nadal was playing his first clay-court match in 681 days - when he won the 2022 French Open final.A near-standing ovation and huge roar greeted Nadal, while the familiar pre-match foibles - aligning his water bottles, box jumps at the net and zigzagged sprint to the baseline - were also lapped up.
There was, understandably, some early rust in his groundstrokes before Nadal quickly found fluency from both forehand and backhand wings.
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